Transplanting red maples

skob123May 17, 2014

Is it possible to transplant red maples that are probably 10 years old and 40 feet high? We are building a house on 5 acres that has zero trees! We planted these maples at our current house and they are beautiful! Would like to take them with us if it can be done since they would provide some much needed shade. If it is possible does anyone know ballpark what the cost would be? Thank you .

Transplanting trees of that size requires professionals with a tree spade. And a very large flat bed truck. A very expensive proposition - several thousand dollars at the very least. And you run a very real risk of the trees not taking well to the transplant and dying after all that work and expense. Larger, more mature trees are very difficult to establish compared to smaller, younger ones.

Red maples grow quickly. It would be far better to purchase new ones for you new home. And consider expanding your tree selection to include other and more ornamental species.........you certainly have the room :-))

Golly - the selection is endless :-)) My best suggestion, not knowing where you are located, is to visit any arboreta or public gardens in your area and see what you like. There are wonderful native trees you could include as well a host of cultivated selections. You can pick for size, flowering attributes, fall foliage color, bark effect - with 5 acres available, you could create quite the park!!